Cricket Xtra: World T20 will still be decided by spin

Ajit Vijaykumar 09:49 21/03/2016
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  • Who will win the World T20?

    The World T20 in India is being played out on two different platforms. And the contrasting nature of matches is only adding to level of intrigue.

    There are the high scoring matches in venues like Mumbai, where totals of 200 are being challenged and breached, while games in venues like Nagpur and Kolkata are seeing teams struggle to score more than 130.

    Add to the mix the inherent unpredictability of the T20 format and you get a tournament where it truly is anyone’s game.

    The tournament proper started with a sensational result as New Zealand knocked down India in emphatic fashion. On a Nagpur pitch that offered copious amount of help for the spinners, the Kiwis defeated India in their own game, with slow bowlers Mitchell Santner,

    Ish Sodhi and Nathan McCullum taking nine out of 10 wicket. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s side didn’t know what hit them.

    The very next day in Mumbai, Chris Gayle decided to check how far a cricket ball can travel.

    England had scored 182 on a good Wankhede pitch and it looked like a challenging total.

    But once Gayle had his eye in, the match itself became irrelevant.  Eleven hits sailed over the fence as Gayle creamed 100 off 48 balls and sealed a comfortable win.

    On the same ground two days later, the South Africans thought a total of 229 would be enough. But England, toughened up following the Gayle assault, hit back with an all-round display – led by Joe Root’s 83 – to chase down the total.

    Then came ‘the’ match between India and Pakistan in Kolkata. The venue had seen a 200 total – by Pakistan against Bangladesh – but the pitch for the charged up encounter on Saturday was a raging turner of the most dangerous kind.

    Opening the bowling, Ravichandran Ashwin got the ball to spin by nearly a foot, with Ravindra Jadeja extracting even more vicious turn later on in the innings. Pakistan batsmen were being beaten by half a foot or so. We are taking in feet, not inches.

    When the wickets vary so much, it becomes almost impossible to gauge where the teams are headed. While 130 seems to be enough on pitches that offer spin and grip, 10 runs an over is par on wickets like Mumbai. And that makes the contests slightly unfair.

    While England played two big games on flat batting wickets, India played theirs on rank turners. Keeping in mind that two out of the three wickets for the semi-finals (Delhi) and final (Kolkata) will be played on pitches that should aid the spinners, the eventual outcome might be decided by spin and not pacers or big hitters.

    The batsmen who score heavily on flat wickets might be found out during the knockout games. On the other hand, bowlers who have adjusted to the batting onslaught might have a tough time to the altered conditions when it really matters.

    Also, the lessons the bowlers learn on the flat pitches in Mumbai might not matter at all if their team plays their crunch games in Delhi or Kolkata.

    While it is important for teams to stay alert and nimble with their game plan, it looks like spin will have a bigger than expected role to play this World T20 and the teams who haven’t had the chance to tackle it yet are at a disadvantage.

    Tough times for the Tigers

    Bangladesh stormed into the Super 10s of the World T20 on the back of a strong qualifying stage but were immediately hit hard by Pakistan as their bowling was taken apart. A total of 201 was always going to be beyond them.

    And as if the opening setback wasn’t enough, they have to contend with the absence of fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and spinner Arafat Sunny, who were suspended from bowling after their actions were found to be illegal.

    That has landed Bangladesh in deep trouble. Mashrafe Mortaza’s team is already grappling with the injury of left-arm pace spearhead Mustafizur Rahman (below). The quick is their best limited overs bowler and his side strain injury has already set Bangladesh back substantially. With right-arm fast bowler Taskin also out of the picture, their bowling attack has lost its bite and Bangladesh’s hopes, which were fairly high before the start of the tournament, have come crashing down.

    Now Mortaza has said that the team will be forced to field Rahman even if he is only 20 per cent fit as they simply don’t have enough bowlers to fall back upon. And that is a sad development for Bangladesh. All the gains they had made over the past season in limited overs cricket seems to have vanished. Their successive ODI series wins against South Africa, Pakistan are in danger of being forgotten rather quickly.

    The results might not go Bangladesh’s way during this World T20 and it will be a cruel blow for a side that has made huge strides across formats in a short span of time.

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